The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-10-15

"Coffey, you go past the Peabody Farm
on your way home. wish you'd stop and
tell Mrs Peabody that the place has
brought over twelve hundred dollars more
than the debt, and she must take out let
tcrs Of administration. And tell her for
me not to think Of moving. She can have
the house and the garden around 1t free of
rent She's shifty woman and with that
start she'll get along"
| felt that Foljambe's conduct was
through an impulse of generosity which
he could well afford. But the general vor.
dict was that he was fool. Had he bid u
hundred over Phipps, or even two hundred,
1t might have passed, but to throw away
absolutely throw away-twelve hundred
dollarsl When they heard afterward that
he had given the widow life estate in the
house and garden, IL was generally agreed
that he should have guardian over him
to save his property.
Talk died out, however, to be revived
again by another astounding act of folly.
The Ellomah Iron Works, about mile
from Brantford, had exhausted the bed of
ore they had been working for over forty
wears. and had to bring the crude material
some distance by rail and water. 1t began
to be u question whether 1t would not pay
to build a new furnace near the source of
supply and abandon the old one. Suddenly,
however, new ore bed was opened close
at hand The forty-two acres OF clayey hill
on the Peabody farm was found to cover a
heavy deposit of limonite AS that ore gen
orally contains impurities only fitting it for
''cold short" iron, little attention was paid
to 1t. But when the chemist of the COM
pany made three separate analyses and dis
covered the usual phosphorous was re-
placed by nearly three per cent. of mangan-
ese oxide, the thing took another shape.
The company offered Foljambe handsome
royalty, which he at once declined. He
would sell outright or not at all. After
some chaffcring and rough survey Of the
bed, they took all the farm but the Widows
five acres, and paid s75,OOO
IA fool for luck" was the general COM
ment. But the reputation of Foljambe for
downright folly was at it's height when it
leaked out afterward that he had settled
S35, $50 dollars on Mrs. Peabody--that is
the interest during life to her, and the
principal to her daughter afterward. No
word sufficed to express the wonder, con-
tempt and disgust at this act of folly.
Old Flggs died about this time and Oal-
cheze offered me share in the business if
l could put in 5000. had saved little
over half of that by pinching and screwng,
but was puzzled about the rest. Foljambe
found it out, and gave me the money on my
note. Some folks may think this folly on
his part but did not. Neither did he, for
have paid 1T back long since.
When the Widow Peabod got her money
she sent Rebecca off to boarding school, as
she could we'll afford to, and there the girl
remained for four years, barring visits
home at vacation. When she came back to
stay, she had grown into handsome, self
possessed young woman, and she was quite
admired by the young fellows around. In
addition to good looks and good manners,
she wou Id have nice sum in hard cash in
time-a good thing to add to a young mans
family resources. But she was of do
nestle turn, stayed at home with her
mother, and rarely went abroad. No suitor
seemed to meet favor in her eyes, though
she had several.
During Rebecca's absence at school, Fol-
jambe had been going along quietly, and
people had ceased to talk of him; but
shortly after her return he broke out again.
One day, an old man in dusty suit and
boots that. had been blackened week be-
fore, and who carried small grip-sack,
got out at Brantford station and inquired
if the Widow Peabody lived at the old farm
yet. We soon learned that he was the long
lost David Peabody who had come back
after all these years, appare ntly as poor as
church mouse, and doub less with intent
to sponge on the Widow Peabody. He was
not so very old, either, but looked like a
man whom hard luck and a hot climate had
dried up and wrnkled
To our surprise he was made vel come by
the widow and Rebecca and took up his
abode there. He was queer specimen
After the dust of travel had bc,n brushed
off he was clean enough; but his clothes
were of ordinary material and well worn.
1t was evident that he was poor, but he
didn't seem to mind it. He walked about
and held himself up as though he owned
one-half the town and meant to buy the
other. He was ready with his tongue, too,
and, if any one said disagreeable or i'm
pertinent thing, could repay it with interest
FOljambe took n great notion to him, and
told me that the old man was keen and had
wonderfully practical business ideas for one
who had not protited by his precepts, a
thing have observed to be not uncommon.
A man can pick up more valuable hints
from, the unsuccessful around him than he
can from sharp business men. So the two
grew quite intimate, and almost any fine
evening might be seen In confab together
on the widows front porch, with the widow
and Rebecca near, interested listeners to
their chat
This was in August, 1860. The whole coun-
try was in state of excitement. It was
known that reconciliation between the war
ring Democratic factions was impossible
and that Lincoln would be elected The
question was. would there be war! Fol
jambe suddenly put the plantation in charge
OF old Uncle David, and went off South. He
visited Virginia, North Carolina and Geor.
ga, and was gone about two months. When
he came back, asked him, "Does the South
really mean fight, Mr.. FoljambeW
sit really does" he replied, sadly; 90
don't think they'll be able to keep it up more
than year or so, unless England inter
feres, for we have the most money and the
most men; but it will be fierce while it lasts
1t Is going to disturb values very much, as
we'll as domestic relations"
The first thing Foljambe did on coming
home was to build a number of long wooder
sheds, some Of them inclosed; and he kept
| the carpenters going day and night. The
| whole neighborhood was aroused. Was he
going iuto sheep-raising on large scale
or what crowning folly was Fool Jim al
nowl l was his only partisan. Every one
said he was goiug stark, staring mad. But
the excitement grew to hubbub wher
there canae carload after carload, by the
railway, OF barrels Of rosin and bales o.
| cotton-the former stored under the oper
and the latter in the enclosed sheds. The
cotton did not excite 80 much establishment
but the rosn Such an amount of it
Some one had the curiosity to nose aroupt
and count the number of barrels piled IL
one of the long and high sheds. Ten thou